Science subject curriculum statement

Curriculum Intent

We want our children to develop their own natural curiosity for the world the around them by exploring the awe and wonder of the scientific world! We aim for our children to understand how scientists investigate and solve problems in the world around them.

At our school children enter key stage 2 having experienced high quality enquiry based learning at our federated infant school. Our commitment is to build upon their prior learning in order to further develop our children as resilient, inquisitive, questioning, life-long leaners.

Curriculum Implementation

We aim to capture the interest, imagination and creativity of our children by ensuring that we plan for, and provide them with a wide range of exciting skills and opportunities in Science.  We proactively link the STEM subjects to ensure that all of our children see Science has part of the world around them and their everyday life.

Our curriculum design ensures progression and repetition so that child build systematically on their scientific skills, knowledge and understanding.  We made the decision not to use a commercial scheme science and have built upon the skeleton of the national curriculum to create our own Boldmere science curriculum that provides children with a foundation of skills, knowledge and understanding to support them as they move to secondary school.

We actively give children genuine freedom to lead their own learning eg: by following their own lines of enquiry and encouraging risk taking. We know that this is key to deep learning in science. This approach has resulted in improved levels of engagement for all children.

Curriculum Impact

Through the pupil voice, we know that our children leave Boldmere Junior School with a love of Science and a real passion for continued learning.

 

Working Scientifically

At Boldmere Juniors, we put strong emphasis on ensuring that scientific enquiry and in particular the vocabulary associated with scientific skills is embedded within our lessons. Our aim is to ensure children understand that the skill which they are developing is transferable across many areas of the subject.

 

 

 

What does Science look like at Boldmere Junior School?

 

Showing awe and wonder

As well as following the National Curriculum for subject coverage, we pride ourselves on our exciting scientific investigations. Using children’s curiosity and questions posed in the classroom, we have ended up having some incredibly diverse investigations and our children are showing more excitement and enthusiasm in lessons.

Whilst it is easy to find out what the children have learnt by talking to them and looking through their books, it is not always easy to evidence the moments of complete wonder and bubbling excitement they feel during their lessons. As a school, we do what we can to capture these moments with photos that we then put on our twitter feed and in books and quotes on displays of what we’ve heard the children say and ask.

 

Teaching Science through practical activities helps our children to become more immersed in their learning. We like to take our Science learning outside of the classroom where possible, and use the wider school environment to facilitate this.

 

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Below are some photos showing the children’s hard work in their books, and some of the displays in the classrooms and around school. You will notice that the work in books often reflects learning in other curriculum areas. Examples of such are below showing historical research with fossils in Year 3 and diary entries with the human body in Year 6.

   

   

 

Our classroom displays change with each new topic to reflect the learning taking place and to support the children with key words, facts and challenges as well as giving children the chance to see their own work and ideas on the walls.

   

   

 

We have displays near the dinner hall where children can learn about nutrition, displays highlighting how science helped with the development of everyday items and a display asking children to research some famous British Scientists.